Suicide Before Defeating the Final Boss

Suicide Before Defeating the Final Boss – 104

EP.104 Really?

The situation Jeong-hyeon faced now felt far more daunting than dealing with an onslaught of paladins, the Pope’s direct confrontation, or even royal families.

A crying Hana was undeniably more difficult to handle.

He let out an awkward laugh.

‘What do I do?’

There was a straightforward solution—taking Hana to the Demon Realm with him. Promising to bring her along would no doubt stop her tears immediately.

But the Demon Realm was far too dangerous for her. Jeong-hyeon wanted Hana to stay here, where it was safe, which left him agonizing over what to do.

After much deliberation, he came to the inevitable conclusion: leaving Hana behind was the only option.

‘There’s no telling what might happen in the Demon Realm.’

Even if it meant earning her resentment, he decided it was better than exposing her to unnecessary danger.

Now came the real challenge: calming Hana down.

‘This is a headache.’

Unfortunately, Jeong-hyeon had no experience with children or soothing their tantrums. Reluctantly, he sought out Miria, who was lounging nearby, and asked for advice.

“Hey, Miria. Any tips on how to calm Hana down? Or suggestions for gifts kids like?”

Miria answered immediately, as if the solution were obvious.

“You.”

Jeong-hyeon frowned, not understanding her point.

When he gave her a puzzled look, Miria sighed dramatically, fixing him with a pointed stare.

“Do you remember when you went to the kingdom?”

He nodded. How could he forget? That trip had involved creating chaos with golems made from royal corpses.

“Yeah, I remember.”

Miria’s gaze turned sharp as she spoke in a tone laden with reproach.

“Do you also remember leaving Hana with me and Lucia?”

“…I do.”

“Do you have any idea what we went through back then?”

The details were fuzzy, but Jeong-hyeon vaguely recalled how overwhelmed they had looked.

‘And if I remember correctly, the first thing I saw when I got back was Hana crying and clinging to me.’

That memory alone made his head spin.

Sensing her moment, Miria began her tirade.

“Lucia and I bought her everything we could think of—her favorite foods, toys, whatever we could find. But nothing worked! She didn’t even care about any of it.”

“……”

“So if you want to calm her down, you’ll have to do it yourself. Apologize, explain, or whatever—she’s not going to listen to anyone else.”

Her words were irrefutable. Jeong-hyeon had no excuse to offer and stood there silently.

Miria sighed, waving him off.

“Go talk to her already.”

“…Yeah. Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it.”

With that, Jeong-hyeon left to face Hana.

***

The moment he entered her room, he saw her crying.

Despite her tears, as soon as she spotted him, she lit up and ran toward him, clinging tightly to his leg.

“Daddy! Hnnng…”

Though she was smiling, her face was still streaked with tears from crying moments ago.

Jeong-hyeon crouched down and gently wiped her face with a handkerchief, his voice soft.

“Why were you crying?”

Hana looked up at him, her eyes brimming with tears again. She sniffled and, in a nasal voice, explained,

“‘Cause they said… I hafta stay away from Daddy…”

Her words, muffled by a stuffy nose, tugged at his heart.

Jeong-hyeon pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed inwardly.

‘This is harder than I thought it’d be.’

Even in the midst of tears, the sight of Hana smiling the moment she saw him made it nearly impossible for Jeong-hyeon to utter something coldhearted like, “Take care while I’m gone.”

As he wrestled with his inner turmoil, he couldn’t help but laugh awkwardly.

‘Who would’ve thought I’d ever worry about something like this?’

He had reached a point where taking lives left him utterly unfazed, yet here he was, struggling with feelings he never expected to surface—all because of Hana.

As he stood there, his emotions a tangled mess, Lucia watched him with an astonished expression.

“Jeong-hyeon, you’re making a face… like an actual human being!”

Her remark made him glance over, his brows furrowing.

“What nonsense are you spouting now?”

Before she could say more, he pinched her cheek in retaliation, making her squeak in protest.

“That’s for saying something unnecessary.”

“…Still, I’m hurt…”

As Lucia rubbed her stretched cheek with a sulky look, Hana giggled from where she clung to Jeong-hyeon, clearly entertained by the scene.

Seeing Hana’s amused reaction, he paused, then gently addressed her.

“Hana.”

“No… I don’t wanna. You can’t go! Don’t you need me?”

Unlike Lucia, who was oblivious, Hana immediately picked up on what he was about to say and tried to block it preemptively.

Caught off guard, Jeong-hyeon hesitated for a moment, then quickly shook his head.

“It’s not like that.”

“Then why can’t I go with you?”

“Because it’s dangerous. I can’t take you somewhere unsafe.”

“But I’m not scared… Don’t leave me behind…”

The tears threatened to overflow again as Hana’s voice cracked, and Jeong-hyeon scratched his head in frustration. He patted her back soothingly, glancing at Lucia in silent plea for help.

“Good luck, Jeong-hyeon! You can do it!”

Predictably, Lucia was no help whatsoever, offering nothing but cheerful encouragement.

Suppressing a sigh, Jeong-hyeon racked his brain until an idea finally struck him. He knelt slightly to meet Hana’s teary gaze.

“Hana, how about this? If you stay here and wait for me just this once, I’ll grant you any wish you want when I get back. Anything at all.”

“…Any wish?”

“That’s right. Whether it’s going out to play together or getting a special present, I’ll make it happen. Anything you want.”

Hana’s eyes lit up, curiosity and hesitation mingling as she looked up at him.

‘This might just work.’

Encouraged, he gently ruffled her hair.

“So, can you be patient just this one time for me?”

Hana hesitated, clutching his clothes tightly as she wrestled with her feelings. Eventually, she began fidgeting with her fingers and softly replied,

“Okay… But you have to come back quickly. I’ll be sad if you’re not here…”

Lucia chimed in enthusiastically, nodding.

“Exactly! If Jeong-hyeon isn’t around, I’ll be sad too!”

“Be quiet, Lucia.”

“You’re so mean to me…”

Ignoring her grumbles, Jeong-hyeon turned his attention back to Hana.

“I promise I’ll come back as fast as I can. So no more crying, okay?”

“…Okay…”

Gently patting her back once more, Jeong-hyeon felt the weight of her tears begin to lift.

***

The next morning, Hana clung to him more tightly than ever, refusing to let go as if determined to spend every possible moment together before his departure.

Carrying her in his arms, Jeong-hyeon couldn’t shake the image of himself as a koala’s perch as he moved around making final preparations.

Finally, he approached Shin Si-ah, who appeared ready to leave.

“Are we all set?”

“Yes, everything’s ready. We can leave whenever you’re ready.”

As soon as Hana heard the word “leave,” she tightened her grip on him and began crying again, tears streaming down her face.

Jeong-hyeon stroked her hair tenderly before passing her into Lucia’s arms.

“I’ll be back soon.”

“Alright! Bring me a present when you return!”

Lucia replied cheerfully, holding the still-sniffling Hana close.

“If there is.”

As they prepared to depart, Jeong-hyeon casually threw a joking comment back toward Lucia before he and Shin Si-ah teleported straight into the Demon Realm.

***

The Demon Realm was a world consumed by malice.

Jeong-hyeon scanned the vast expanse of ashen wasteland before turning to Shin Si-ah.

“Looks like we’ve arrived without issue.”

“Yes, it seems so.”

He noticed the hordes of grotesque creatures already swarming toward them. With a wry chuckle, he started walking forward.

“The Demon Realm sure knows how to roll out the red carpet.”

“Well, this is a world where power is everything,” Shin Si-ah said with a shrug. “Their obsession with strength is more extreme than anywhere else.”

Jeong-hyeon smirked.

“Prioritizing strength, huh? Simple enough for me. Let’s enjoy this while we’re here. It’s fine if I just kill them all, right?”

Shin Si-ah blinked.

“I mean, yes, technically, but as I mentioned before, demons don’t die easily. It might be better to conserve your energy and just ignore—”

Before she could finish, Jeong-hyeon raised his hand, declaring Sanctuary Declaration. A massive surge of divine power radiated outward, crashing into the surrounding monsters.

“Don’t worry. I came here to test my skills, after all.”

“W-wait! The monsters here are way stronger than the ones in the human world—!”

Ignoring her protests, he unleashed a devastating wave of divine power.

BOOM!

The ground trembled as the air filled with the sickening sound of squelching and the spray of green blood. Shin Si-ah froze, staring slack-jawed at the carnage.

“Oh my…” she muttered, her voice a mix of awe and disbelief.

Jeong-hyeon turned to her, puzzled.

“What’s with that reaction?”

Her expression shifted, equal parts astonished and conflicted.

“You’re… incredibly powerful.”

“Am I?”

“Yes, you are! Normally, no one could do this!”

“I thought all Heroes could do stuff like this,” Jeong-hyeon replied, genuinely confused.

Shin Si-ah shook her head vehemently.

“Absolutely not! When I was a Hero, I couldn’t even use Sanctuary Declaration! That skill is absurd!”

Jeong-hyeon raised an eyebrow.

“You couldn’t use it? With unlimited divine power at your disposal?”

Shin Si-ah’s incredulous expression deepened.

“How could anyone use such a ridiculously energy-draining skill? It’s pure overkill!”

Her explanation left Jeong-hyeon completely baffled.

“Why would you worry about energy usage when divine power is limitless?”

“What? Limitless? That’s nonsense! Sure, Heroes have way more divine power than anyone else, but Sanctuary Declaration is still far too draining to use recklessly!”

Jeong-hyeon stared blankly, realizing that they were operating on entirely different understandings.

Shin Si-ah sighed heavily.

“Anyway, this is bad. We’re supposed to meet the Demon Dukes soon, but after using so much divine power, you’ll need to rest. We should find a safe spot to recuperate.”

Seeing her misunderstand the situation entirely, Jeong-hyeon decided to set the record straight.

“I told you—I have unlimited divine power.”

“Stop joking around!”

“……”

“…You are joking, right?”

Her skeptical tone left Jeong-hyeon with no choice but to laugh lightly in response, amused by her disbelief.